NOTE TO ESSAY VI. INVASION AND REIGN OF KHAMMURABI.

447

Kudur-mabuk about the same time brought the northern Babyonian kingdom under subjection, conquering its queen, Ellat-gula, vho had by this time succeeded to Naram-sin. Finally, Kudurnabuk and Rim-agu in combination attacked and overpowered the kingdom of Karrak, establishing thereby the authority of Elam >ver the whole of the lower Mesopotamian region. Kudur-mabuk urther undertook an expedition into Syria, and having reduced it, dded to his other titles that of "Lord of Syria," or "of the West." 6

Kudur-mabuk and his son, Rim-agu, reigned conjointly over the whole of Babylonia for the space of about thirty years. They repaired and beautified many of the great temples, particularly hose of Ur and Zerghul, built fortifications for the defence of the towns, and excavated numerous canals to increase the productiveness of the country. The cylindrical seals of the period, many of which remain, show a high condition of the arts of design and engraving. A bronze figure in the Louvre, inscribed with the names and titles of the joint monarchs,7 is not without merit.

The Elamitic sovereignty over Babylonia was not, however, maintained beyond a single generation. About thirty years after the conquest of Karrak, a fresh invader, named Khammurabi, made his appearance, and in a short time carried all before him. Kudurmabuk and his son, unable to resist him, retreated into their own country. Khammurabi brought the whole of Babylonia under his dominion, and having so done fixed his capital at Babylon, which he proceeded to adorn with palaces, towers, and temples. He also beautified many of the other Babylonian cities with temples and public buildings. He continued the canalisation of Kudur-mabuk,8

6 Martu, "the West" was the name given to Syria by the Babylonians, as the most western country of which they had any knowledge. The word appears probably in the name Marathus, that of a city upon the Syrian coast. (See above, p. 424, note 9).

7 This inscription, which is on the dress of the figure, has been translated by Mr. G. Smith in his Notes on the Early History of Assyria and Babylonia, pp. 19-22. It runs as follows:"To the Goddess Lady of the Mountain, the warlike (?), the returner, the benefactress, daughter of the MoonGod, their lady, Kudur-mabuk, lord of

Yamutbal (Elam) son of Sinti-shil. khak, and Rim-agu, his son, glorious ruler of Nipur, nourisher of Ur, king of Larsa, king of Sumir and Akkad, have built for their preservation BethMiurru, the sanctuary of her delight; its summit have they raised for her like a mountain. May the Goddess Lady of heaven and earth, as they advance towards old age, bestow on them the preservation of their vigour, numerous years, strong life; giving peace before the face of the people in their country to their city, [may she bestow] on them the blessing of the Great Gods!"

8 See the work of M. Ménant en

448

DYNASTY OF KHAMMURABI.

APP. BOOK

and left memorials in various places, most of them in the Turanian or primitive Babylonian dialect, but one at any rate in very pr Semitic. This inscription has been translated by M. Ménant in is "Inscriptions de Hammourabi," and more recently by Mr. Fix Talbot in the "Records of the Past," published under the sanction of the Society of Biblical Archæology.

Khammurabi was succeeded by his son, Samshu-iluna, or Samsi» itibna, who likewise reigned at Babylon, and repaired a temple there. These kings are thought to have been followed by a list of eight others, whose names are found in succession to theirs upon a bilingual tablet, but of whose history absolutely nothing is known. The names in question are Ammi-dikaga, Kurri-galzu, Simmas-si? a Ulam-buriyas, Nazi-murudas, Mili-sihu, Burna-buriyas, and Kara With them it is proposed to associate a certain Saga-saltiyas, whe rebuilt a temple at Sippara, and a certain Harbi-sihu, who was engaged in war with an early Assyrian monarch.

Shortly after this we come to a list of eight kings whose order of succession is certain, and whose reigns may be approximately dated by means of the Assyrian records. The last of them is conquered by Tiglathi-Nin, king of Assyria, whose subjection of Babylon belongs certainly to the early part of the thirteenth century before Christ.3 The names are in several instances identical with those mentioned in the preceding paragraph, and in others present the same, or very similar, elements. Altogether there is perhaps reason for regarding this list as a natural continuation of that just given, and so for assigning to a single dynasty the entire catalogue of twenty monarchs. The dynasty would seem to be that which Berosus called Arabian, whereto he assigned 245 years. If we accept this identification and consider the numbers of Berosus to be authentic, we may allot to the dynasty the space between B.C. 1545 and B.C. 1300.

titled "Inscriptions de Hammourabi," and compare Lenormant, Histoire Ancienne de l'Orient, vol. ii. p. 31, 3me edition.

The inscription here alluded to is bilingual, Turanian and Semitic. All the other inscriptions of Khammurabi which have hitherto been discovered are Turanian. The Semitic column of this bilingual inscription is of high importance, being earlier by

some centuries than any other Semitic document that has come down to us.

1 Vol. i. pp. 7, 8.

As Mr. G. Smith prefers to read the name. See the Notes, p. 14. 3 See the next Essay, § 11.

4 See Euseb. Chron. Can. 1. 4 (Syncellus has 215 in the place of 245. Chronograph. vol. i. pp. 90, D; 92, B).

NOTE TO ESSAY VI. CONQUEST OF BABYLON BY ASSYRIA,

449

The eight kings of this list are the following:-Kari-indas, Burna-buriyas II., Kara-khardas, Nazi-bugas, Kurri-galzu II., Miliihu II., Merodach-Baladan, and Nazi-murudas II. Of these the rst, Kari-indas, made a treaty of peace with the contemporary king f Assyria, Asshur-bil-nisi-su; the second, Burna-buriyas II., made similar treaty with Buzur-Asshur, Asshur-bil-nisi-su's successor, nd further married his granddaughter; the third, Kara-khardas, ho was the issue of this marriage, succeeded his father, but was urdered by his subjects, after a short reign, upon which the throne as usurped by Nazi-bugas. Hereupon the Assyrians interposed. sshur-upallit, the father-in-law of Kara-khardas, marched an army ito Babylonia, defeated and slew Nazi-bugas, became master of the ountry, and placed upon the throne a brother of Kara-khardas, by ame Kurri-galzu, the fifth king of the series. This monarch, who is alled "the unrivalled king," left his crown to his son, Mili-sihu. Lili-sihu was succeeded by his son, Merodach-Baladan; and Meroach-baladan by his son, Nazi-murudas.

With Nazi-murudas the early Babylonian kingdom came to an ad. The Assyrian power, which had been gradually increasing, hile that of Babylon declined under the Arab (?) kings, found itself, bout the beginning of the thirteenth century B.C., strong enough, not erely to contend with, but to conquer Babylon. Tiglathi-Nin, the ›n of Shalmaneser I., marched an army into southern Mesopotamia, ngaged the forces of Nazi-murudas in a great battle near the city Kar-ishtar-agarsalu, and completely defeated them. The whole >untry submitted to him, and for a time was ruled by Assyrian ings, who held their court at Asshur, Calah, or Nineveh. Assyria ecame the dominant power over the whole of Mesopotamia; and, though after a time Babylonia so far recovered herself as to have ings of her own, and even once more to engage in wars with ssyria, in which she was not always worsted, yet still the paramount ithority had passed from the one race to the other, and for nearly 10 years (from B.C. 1300 to B.C. 625, or a little later) the Assyrians the Upper Mesopotamian region were the chief power in Western sia, while the Babylonians, who had held the first place for a ousand years or more, had to be content with a secondary position. he ensuing chapter will be devoted to the history of the Assyrian onarchy. It may perhaps be as well to conclude the present hapter with a tabular view of the early Babylonian kingdom, ccording to the authorities which have been followed in the above setch of early Babylonian history.

VOL. I.

2 G

Nazi-murudas (his son), conquered by Tiglathi-Nin. ab. B.C. 1300.

ESSAY VII.

ASSYRIAN CHRONOLOGY AND HISTORY.

451

t

ESSAY VII.

ON THE CHRONOLOGY AND HISTORY OF THE GREAT ASSYRIAN

EMPIRE.

1. Chronology of the Empire. Views of Ctesias. 2. Opinion of Herodotus. 3. Reasons for preferring the latter. 4. Evidence of the Assyrian monuments. Probable commencement of the Empire, about B.C. 1300. 5. Probable termination of the Empire, about B.C. 610. 6. An Assyrian kingdom anterior to the Empire, from ab. B.c. 1850. 7. Origin of Assyrian independence. 8. Earliest known kings, Bel-sumili-kapi, Irba-vul, and Asshur-iddinakhi. 9. Earliest continuous series of kings, Asshur-bil-nisi-su, Buzur-Asshur, Asshur-upallit, Bel-lush, Pudil, Vul-lush, and Shalmaneser I., the father of Tiglathi-Nin I. 10. Period which these reigns probably occupied—B.C. 1450 to B.C. 1300. 11. Reign of Tiglathi-Nin I.-his conquest of Babylon. 12. Second series of eight consecutive kings, viz. Bel-kudur-uzur, Nin-pala-zira, Asshur-dayan I., Mutaggil-Nebo, Asshur-ris-ilim, Tiglath-Pileser I., Asshurbil-kala, and Shamas-Vul. Period occupied by the reigns, probably from about B.C. 1245 to B.c. 1065. 13. Reigns of Bel-kudur-uzur and Nin-pala-zira. 14. Reigns of Asshur-dayan I. and Mutaggil-Nebo. 15. Reign of Asshur-ris. ilim. 16. Reign of Tiglath-Pileser I. 17. Reign of Asshur-bil-kala. 18. Reign of Shamas-Vul I. 19. Break in the line of kings-time of depression in Assyria. 20. Third series of ten consecutive kings, viz. Asshur-dayan II., Vul-lush II., Tiglathi-Nin II., Asshur-izir-pal, Shalmaneser II., Shamas-Vul II., Vul.lush III., Shalmaneser III., Asshur-dayan III., and Asshur-lush. 21. Reigns of Asshur-dayan II. and Vul-lush II. Exact Assyrian chronology commences. 22. Reign of Tiglathi-Nin II. 23. Reign of Asshur-izir-palhis conquests. 24. His palace and temples. 25. Reign of Shalmaneser II., the Black Obelisk king. 26. General view of the state of Asia between B.C. 860 and B.C. 820. 27. Syrian campaigns of Shalmaneser II. 28. His palace at Calah. 29. Shamas-Vul. 30. Campaigns of Shamas-Vul. 31. Vul-lush III. married to Semiramis. 32. Reign of Shalmaneser III. 33. Of Asshurdayan III. 34. Of Asshur-lush. 35. General table of the kings of the upper dynasty. 36. Lower dynasty of Assyria-B.C. 745 to B. c. 610. 37. Reign of Tiglath-Pileser II. 38. Shalmaneser IV.-his siege of Samaria. 39. Sargon -his extensive conquests. 40. His great palace at Khorsabad. 41. Reign of Sennacherib-his great palace at Koyunjik. 42. His military expeditions. 43. Length of his reign. 44. Second expedition of Sennacherib into Syria— miraculous destruction of his army. 45. Sennacherib murdered by his sons. 46. Reign of Esar-haddon. 47. His magnificent palaces. 48. Asshur-banipal-his war with Tirhakah and conquest of Egypt. 49. His expedition against the Minni. 50. His great war with Elam. 51. His Arabian and Syrian expeditions. 52. His hunting-palace. 53. Later years of Asshurbani-pal. 54. Supposed reign of Bel-zakir-iskun. 55. Reign of Asshur-ebil-ili, the Saracus of Berosus, and Sardanapalus of the Greek writers (?). 56. His character. 57. Fall of Nineveh. 58. Chronological Table of the kings of the lower dynasty. 59. Duration and extent of the Empire. 60. General nature of the dominion. 61. Frequency of disorders--remedies. 62. Assyria the best specimen of a kingdom-empire. 63. Peculiar features of the dominion: (i.) Religious character of the wars. (ii.) Incipient centralization. 64. Character of the civilization-Literature-Art-Manufactures.